


Talk to Me

by saltyparabolasholtzmann



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Adoption, F/F, Friendship/Love, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 03:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8129267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltyparabolasholtzmann/pseuds/saltyparabolasholtzmann
Summary: The one where it's Christmas and Erin and Holtzmann have a heart to heart. Also, Patty and Kevin bake cookies.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! this is my first work on here so I hope I got everything right and you guys like it! Let me know what you think in the comments, any thoughts or kudos are greatly appreciated!! :)

Christmas was complicated for Jillian Holtzmann. Her parents decided to give her up for adoption (which she understood, kids are hard), and that led to a long line of foster homes, none of which seemed to care for the young, blonde, future world renowned scientist. Too much energy, they said. Her creativity was simply out of control, said another. Finally, when she was old enough to think that no one was ever going to want to hear her theories on The X-Files (it had to based on truth), or look at her blueprints for a cotton candy machine that could create animals made out of sugar (mostly snakes, but she was working on it), or even just treat her like a human being, a Dr. Rebecca Gorin called the foster home she was at to ask if any teenagers there were interested in a lab technician position over the summer. Jillian, who had just given up on ever becoming anything special, decided that nothing was going to force her to stay in this place any longer, and snuck into the foster home’s office to call Dr. Gorin back to say yes. Yes, she loved science. Yes, she was smart. And yes, she was up for anything.

Fast forward through countless explosions (most of them were small), too many broken hearts, and a whole lot of eclectic music blaring from the boombox in her one room apartment, Holtzmann had found a real home. She lived with Dr. Gorin for a time, but the brilliant mentor had made Holtz move out, in the hopes that she could begin to find people who were like her. So Holtz wasn’t mad. In fact, everything good that had ever happened in her life was because Dr. Gorin believed in her. Didn’t call her ideas stupid, or criticize her wild methods of experimentation. Safety lights _are_ for dudes anyways. She was the first person Holtzmann felt she could trust. So, after a long day of too much coffee, 80s pop, and one or two fire alarms, she knew it was time to leave. To eventually find Abby, Erin, Patty and Kevin (though she didn’t know it yet).

* * *

“Um, Holtz? Are you up here?” Erin called as she scanned the roof of the firehouse. “It’s awfully cold, and Patty baked cookies. Kevin’s even icing them, who knew he was also an artist?” She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Holtz, back turned to her, who appeared to be catching snowflakes on her tongue. Too cute, Erin thought. But as she drew nearer, she sensed something was off. Holtz was never this quiet, and spending time alone was a little unusual too. So, on an impulse, Erin wrapped herself around Jillian, taking in the scent of her hair, a combination of dish soap (was that lemon?) and snow (if snow even had a smell, Erin hadn’t learned the answer to that at Columbia). At the touch, Holtz melted into tears. “Oh my god Jill are you alright?” Erin, being a social wallflower, didn’t know what to do. So she stood there, holding Holtz until the tears subsided. “Yeah. Um, sorry. I’m fine!” Holtz tried to smirk but just ended up grimacing at Erin, pulling away from the embrace and hurrying inside. Erin followed, more than a little confused and worried.

Erin wandered back downstairs, receiving a not so subtle glance from Abby, asking what the hell had happened up there. Then she saw Holtz. Smiling, laughing and definitely flirting with Patty. There was no trace of the sadness Erin had witnessed (and maybe been the cause of?), except for a hint of redness around her eyes. _Shit_. What if she had done something? No. She was not going to overanalyze this. She was just going to pull Jillian aside and ask what was wrong. Easier said than done when every look at the magnetic blonde caused Erin to stumble over the simplest of words. “Ignore that and talk to her”, Erin said, out loud, in front of Kevin, who had been busy, still carefully icing the cookies that Patty had baked. Thankfully, after a second of confusion, he forgot Erin and went back to work. Would have bothered her at one time, but not now. There was something wrong with everyone’s favorite nuclear engineer, and Erin Gilbert was determined to find out what it was.

“So then, _somebody_ was dancing again and it just, ya know. Fell over.” Patty gestured to the spilled wonton soup on the counter and looked directly at Holtzmann, who was stifling a giggle. Abby, on the other hand, was definitely pissed. Not because of the soup, though. Because Patty and Holtzy were just too damn cute. The pair smiled and hugged Abby, who motioned that Erin and Kevin come join them. “Group hug!”, Kevin exclaimed, running over to engulf everyone, including Erin, who had (by no means of her own), ended up with her face in between Patty’s shoulder and Holtzmann’s hair. Not my worst Saturday night, or my worst Christmas, Erin thought. Then, like any self respecting human, she whispered into Jillian’s ear “So, we, uh-I mean you, wanna talk...me...upstairs?” and broke out of Kevin’s bear hug, mumbling something about a safety hazard, bolted upstairs and waited.

Moments later, she heard the sound of boots quietly walking up the stairs. Everything in her body said to leave now before you embarrass yourself again, but she stayed as Jillian sauntered into view.

“You wanted to see me, Gilbert? I gotta admit, this isn’t how I imagined our first date would be…” Holtz winked, pointing finger guns at the surprised physicist.

“Ummm, no? So up there, you...alright?” Erin cringed, wishing she didn’t turn into a total idiot when she was concerned for Holtz (which was pretty much always).

“Erin, sweetheart, I’m gonna need you to breathe. Let’s talk.” Holtzmann was still smiling, but it was obvious (at least to Erin), that she was still upset, and maybe even embarrassed (was that Erin’s fault)?

“Yeah. Um, okay. Whywereyoucryingontheroof”, Erin’s inability to make words stopped, as a rapid question broke the silence, and she could feel the blush on her cheeks.

Jillian sighed. “You want the short version or the long version?”

“I just want to know what’s going on.” Erin wanted to cry, but inwardly congratulated herself on her honesty. _Good sentence_ , she thought.

“Short version it is. My parents gave me up for adoption on Christmas and let’s just say I’ve never gotten to spend the holidays with a real family. I hadn’t celebrated in years cause it just... _sucked_.” Now it was Holtz’s turn to blush. She hadn’t planned on sharing that.

At this, Erin’s heart broke. She knew from Abby that Holtz’s childhood wasn’t easy, but hearing it from the woman she loved (loved?) hurt more than she could explain. How anyone could do that to such a brilliant, eccentric, radiant, magnetic person was beyond words. “Jillian. You know you’ve got us now. You’ve got _me_.” Erin smiled as she closed the distance between herself and the most incredible woman she knew, once again wrapping herself around Jillian, but this time to reassure her of her love.

And so, as Holtzmann once again melted against Erin’s touch, Erin swallowed her nerves and whispered against Jillian’s lips, “I think I’m in love with you.”

“I was going to say the same thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so that was an adventure...let me know what you think in the comments or find me on tumblr at not-quite-nuclear, send me prompts, suggestions or whatever!! thanks for reading!


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